The present invention relates to object-carrying systems generally, and more particularly to integrated multi-component systems for facilitating object transportation over various ground or floor surfaces. This invention also relates to methods for transporting objects.
A variety of object-carrying devices have been proposed and utilized to date. Such devices are most commonly used for assisting users in manually transporting items such as boxes, furniture, appliances and other objects. The various object-carrying devices that have been proposed to date attempt to facilitate a user in manually hauling objects.
Examples of such object-carrying devices that are commonly used include carrying straps (typically referred to as xe2x80x9chump strapsxe2x80x9d), manual forklifts, four-wheel carts, and two or four wheel hand trucks. The conventional object-carrying devices described above introduce particular utilities for certain object transportation applications. Hump straps have commonly been used to assist in carrying various objects by increasing the potential leverage provided by the user""s back. Hand trucks, push carts, and the like have traditionally been utilized to assist in handling relatively larger or heavier objects by allowing the user to simply push or pull the devices over relatively flat ground or floor surfaces to transport the objects.
Though such object-carrying devices have obtained relative popularity, drawbacks exist for each category of such devices. For example, conventional hand trucks find difficulty when faced with irregular ground or floor surfaces such as stairs or the like. Hump straps can result in awkward and potentially harmful lifting positions for the users, as well as creating imbalanced weight distribution with respect to the carrying user. Such imbalanced loads can result in difficulty and/or potential injury for the user. Therefore, conventional object-carrying devices are unsuitable for transporting various loads over a variety of ground and/or floor surfaces.
More recently, attempts have been made to overcome such drawbacks by modifying the object-carrying devices, and in particular modifying conventional hand trucks. Several modifications have been proposed which add a lifting capability to conventional hand trucks for either manually or automatically raising the payload above a ground surface. Other proposed modifications provide mechanical techniques for transporting the conventional hand trucks over uneven surfaces, such as stairs. A particular example of such a device is shown in Jeavons (U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,763), wherein a motorized extension device operably raises the hand truck such that the wheels of the hand truck may be placed upon an elevated surface, i.e. a step in a staircase. The process may also be reversed for descending the hand truck from elevated surfaces. Such a device, however, is an inadequate solution, in that the elevating device must be alternatively extended and retracted for each ground or floor surface level change which can be extremely time consuming. In addition, the extension device requires a relatively flat surface to support the force of raising or lowering the loaded hand truck. In addition, such modifications to conventional hand trucks add significant weight thereby further frustrating an overall purpose of providing a system or device for easily transporting various objects.
Another drawback of object-carrying devices in use today is the overall bulkiness associated therewith. In many situations, standard devices are not only difficult to transport themselves, but also are difficult to maneuver in relatively compact work areas. Thus, a need exists in the art for a system capable of assisting a user in transporting objects over various ground or floor surfaces while retaining preferred characteristics such as portability and low weight. Furthermore, a need exists in the art for a portable system that is efficient in transporting various objects in a variety of work environments.
Accordingly, it is a principle object of the present invention to provide a means for efficiently transporting various objects over a variety of ground or floor surfaces.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a portable system for efficiently transporting various objects over a variety of ground or floor surfaces.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a hand-carryable, multi-component system for assisting a user in efficiently transporting various objects over a variety of ground or floor surfaces.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide compactable components forming a system for assisting a user in efficiently transporting various objects over a variety of ground or floor surfaces.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lightweight, compactable object-carrying means.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a distinct and portable hoist means for raising and lowering various objects, including object-carrying devices.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a distinct and portable hoist means being activatable by a ratcheted foot lever.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a yoke means for removable attachment to an object-carrying means.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a yoke means that is configured to be worn by a user and removably attachable to an object-carrying means, such that the attached object-carrying means may be transported by the user over a variety of ground or floor surfaces.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a yoke means having manually actuatable extension legs such that a payload being carried by a user may be efficiently lowered to a ground or floor surface.
It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide a manual actuating means for actuating a lowering mechanism to lower an object-carrying means with respect to the yoke means.
By way of the present invention, a means for efficiently and conveniently transporting articles over various ground or floor surfaces is provided. Such an article-carrying means is provided by a multi-component portable system comprising a hoist means, a movable article-carrying means, and a yoke means which is removably attachable to the article-carrying means such that a user may xe2x80x9cwearxe2x80x9d the yoke means, and carry the combined yoke means/article-carrying means over various ground or floor surfaces. A particular advantage achieved through the present invention is the ability for a user to wear such a yoke means and removably attach loaded article-carrying means thereto to manually transport the payload to desired locations.
One embodiment of the transporting system includes a movable object-carrying means, a hoist means for lifting and lowering the object-carrying means to desired heights, and a yoke means for removable attachment to the object-carrying means, wherein the yoke means comprises a user-wearable device that is configured to be efficiently carried by a user such that object held on the removably attachable object-carrying means may be easily transported over various ground and floor surfaces. Desired aspects of such an embodiment include lightweight and compactable characteristics of each of the distinct components. Further, the object-carrying means preferably includes an upright frame having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion including a support shelf that is pivotally mounted thereto such that the support shelf may pivot 90 degrees between a parallel and a perpendicular orientation with respect to the frame, and the lower portion including one or more movement facilitators rotatably secured thereto for facilitating movement of the object-carrying means. One of the upper portion and the lower portion may be telescopingly received in a respective other portion such that a respective height dimension of the object-carrying means may be correspondingly adjusted.
The hoist means of the above-described embodiment referably comprises a lift portion and a stationary portion, the stationary portion remaining substantially adjacent to a respective ground or floor surface upon which the hoist means rests. To raise and lower the lift portion of the hoist means, a ratcheted foot lever may be actuated by a user positioned on the stationary portion of the hoist means. Preferably, a lift system release mechanism is provided in a hoist means, which release mechanism may be actuated by a user positioned upon the stationary portion of the hoist means.
The yoke means in the embodiment described above is preferably slidably and lockingly engageable with the object-carrying means. Furthermore, yoke handles are preferably pivotally connected to a frame portion of the yoke means, wherein the yoke handles are configured to be supported by respective shoulders of a user when the yoke handles are pivotally extended outwardly from the yoke frame portion. As a particular feature of the yoke means described above, the yoke handles preferably include first and second actuating means disposed on the yoke handles in a location convenient to the user when the yoke means is being xe2x80x9cwornxe2x80x9d by the user. The first actuating means may be activated to release the object-carrying means from removable attachment to the yoke means, thereby allowing a biasing means to slidably extend the object-carrying means downwardly with respect to the yoke means from a stowage position to an engagement/disengagement position, which is at or near the ground or floor surface. The yoke means also preferably includes retractable support legs which may be actuated by the second actuating means to be extended downwardly from a locked retracted position to an unlocked extended position. The second actuating means allow a second biasing means to bias the support legs toward the extended position. Another embodiment of the carrying-apparatus of the present invention provides for a user-wearable, article-carrying device having a frame and grasping handles pivotally connected to the frame, wherein the handles are configured to be placed over respective shoulders of a user such that the frame may be supported by the user, and thereafter carried to desired locations. The portable apparatus of this embodiment also includes a hoist means similar to the hoist means described in the previous embodiment.
An additional embodiment of the invention provides for a portable hoist means for raising and lowering articles to desired levels. The hoist means preferably includes a lift portion, a stationary portion substantially adjacent to the lift portion, one or more ramp portions pivotally connected to the hoist means, wherein the ramp portions are pivotally extendable to extend between an upper surface of the hoist means and a respective ground or floor surface. Hoist means further includes a lift system operably connected to the lift portion, wherein the lift system includes means for operably raising and lowering the lift portion to desired levels. In preferred embodiments, the hoist means comprises a pantographic lift system.
Another embodiment of the invention provides for a portable article-transporting device having an elongated frame, a plurality of extendable support legs which are extendable outwardly from the frame, a biasing means which are braced against the frame, and a support harness pivotally connected to the frame, wherein the harness includes a plurality of grasping handles which include a first actuation means for remotely actuating the extendable support legs by remotely releasing the biasing means to operably extend the support legs. The portable article-transporting device of such an embodiment is preferably adapted to be removably attachable to common hand trucks.
The present invention also contemplates a method of transporting articles over various ground or floor surfaces. The method includes providing a movable object-carrying means, a hoist means for lifting and lowering the object-carrying means to desired heights, and a yoke means for removable attachment to the object-carrying means, the yoke means including a user-wearable device being configured to be efficiently carried by a user such that objects held on the removably attached object-carrying means may be easily transported over various ground and floor surfaces. The method provides for loading articles upon the object-carrying device, and subsequently maneuvering the loaded object-carrying device to a lift portion of the hoist means. A user may then removably attach the yoke means to the object-carrying device, and raise the combined yoke means/object-carrying means to a desired height via the hoist means. The user may then support the combined yoke means/object-carrying means on their shoulders, and subsequently transport the loaded article to desired locations.